Mobile Inter-networking with IPv6 : Concepts, Principles and Practices

21

Multiaccess and Mobility

Users will also begin using their mobile devices to control and manage other Internetenabled appliances (kitchen equipment, entertainment equipments, etc.)    –Vint Cerf

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21.1 INTRODUCTION

As the reach of mobile communication expands, advances in radio communication technologies, including miniaturization and integration and the ability to support Internet Protocol applications, are rapidly giving rise to multiaccess devices. With such devices, a user can connect to the Internet by any of the available networks or by more than one network for a best-connected experience. This choice, although no doubt empowering, leads to some interesting technical problems. How would a user discover available networks and their characteristics? How would a user select a network from available networks? How would handover take place? These and many other problems will be addressed in the near future. In this chapter, we will consider mobility between WLAN and a WWAN, the CDMA EV-DO network, and investigate how well voice handovers work under the existing conditions. We will also identify a set of problems in this domain.

21.2 MOBILITY BETWEEN NETWORKS

Over the years, the mobile cellular networks have improved their ability to support voice calls even when a user is crossing cell boundaries between radio base stations. As we observed in previous chapters, efforts are ...